Telangana government has advised all its departments to route their electronic devices and related services requirements through the Telangana Government Technology Services (TGTS).
TGTS has been designated sole nodal agency for all the purchases of electronic equipment, software, web designs and a total of 17 specified services of all the government departments, IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu’s office said on Wednesday.
It said this citing an April 8 government order issued by Special Secretary Jayesh Ranjan in this regard.
“Given the comprehensive computerisation of government operations, allowing individual departments to make independent purchases raises significant concerns regarding quality assurance, pricing inconsistencies and potential data security vulnerabilities,” the office said.
The move will streamline and standardise procurement process. TGTS will levy a service fee for the transactions, thereby generating own revenue and reduce dependency on government funding for salaries and operational expenses.
Comply without fail
Though for over two decades procurement of IT-related equipment has been conducted through APTS and subsequently TGTS, it has come to light that some departments continued to make isolated purchases, ignoring previous regulations. The latest order makes it mandatory for all departments to comply with the new procurement protocol without fail.
The directive reinforces the exclusive channeling of resources for e-governance projects, software consultancy services, legacy software upgrades, annual maintenance operations, local area networks, surveillance solutions, software certification, cybercrime investigation tools, antivirus programs, operating system renewals, Artificial Intelligence resources and rate contract services — thus ensuring all processes are handled solely through TGTS for optimised efficiency and enhanced service quality.
The GO said TGTS is State nodal agency and a self-sustained company offering a wide range of services, including implementation of IT and infrastructure projects, IT consultancy services, information security assurance services and procurement of infrastructure for the departments.
It is under the administrative control of the ITE&C Department and manages an array of activities, including development of computer systems, techno-commercial analysis, market intelligence and related services to be used by the government to improve efficiency, transparency and cost effectiveness. The departments thus utilise TGTS expertise and discover best competitive rates for all IT related services.
Published - April 16, 2025 06:51 pm IST
